Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Food For Thought

In the course of normal academic life, there are many circumstances in which we become aware of the medical, religious, or other restrictions on which foods our colleagues and students can or will consume (or not). The dietary needs and preferences of people in even a fairly small group
can be quite varied, and can become the concern of those organizing
professional or socio-professional events.

Examples of academic activities that may involve an awareness of dietary issues for others in our profession include:

- the organization of conferences, workshops etc. that involve meals or refreshments for all participants;

- the hosting of meals for visitors; e.g., during a visit by others to our institution for a talk or interview; or

- the arrangement of meals -- either at restaurants or in self-catering situations -- during research-related travel (visits to other labs, some conference travel, field work etc.).

Although there are some obvious ways to accommodate the needs and preferences of most individuals, it can be very difficult to find a good solution for everyone. Even the option of eating in a restaurant may not accommodate everyone, unless the restaurant has a very diverse menu and/or the ability to make the necessary modifications.

I am a rather omnivorous person, but there are a couple of food items I need to avoid owing to allergic reactions. My two food allergies are only rarely a problem in professional settings, but over the years there have been some memorable situations, such as:

- Years ago, during a job interview, the department chair hosted a dinner for me at a restaurant that specialized in a food item that I cannot eat without experiencing a rather severe reaction. He did not ask me if I had any food preferences. He had a favorite restaurant and wanted to take me there, so that's where we went. Although I explained about my food allergy, he seemed annoyed when I did not eat the specialty of the restaurant and kept talking about how unfortunate it was that I could not eat his favorite food. I felt very uncomfortable during and after that dinner.

- A few years ago, at a professional luncheon at which I was to give a speech, everyone was served something that contained this same food item. There probably was a mechanism by which I could have indicated my food allergy in advance; I am sure that the organizers of the luncheon were willing to make arrangements for those with dietary restrictions or preferences. So rare is it for me to encounter this food in a professional setting, however, that it didn't occur to me to mention it in advance. I was very anxious about the possibility of having a dramatic medical incident while on stage in front of an audience, so I didn't touch anything on my plate and instead just nibbled on some bread. I was very hungry when I gave my speech, but that was better than the alternative.

- More recently, I encountered my other food allergy for only the second time in decades. This one is quite rare, does not provoke a life-threatening reaction (just an annoying rash), and is typically easy to avoid entirely. In certain parts of the world, however, the food in question is ubiquitous, and people commonly offer it to visitors. Particularly when there are issues of culture/language, refusing this food would be seen as rude and unusual. I therefore took the approach of trying to manage the situation (limiting contact with the food but not refusing it), and I succeeded until the last day of a research visit, when this approach failed catastrophically, alas for me.

Compared to what others experience, my issues are very minor and easily managed. If you have more serious and extensive dietary restrictions, you probably get pretty good at managing the socio-logistical issues involved. I think it likely, though, that dietary issues are quite often a concern in professional settings, and perhaps continue to be anxiety-inducing for early-career people who worry about being negatively judged as a result, despite an increase in awareness in recent years.

As an occasional organizer of events in which I need to be aware of the food issues of others, I have found that it is extremely difficult to accommodate (not to mention please) everyone. What I continue to explore is whether there are limits to my responsibility, and if so, where these are.

42 comments:

Anonymous
said...

As a person with a medical condition that precludes me from consuming gluten (Coeliac disease) I often simply abstain completely from food at most events, even if the cost of attending included some amount for food. It is nobody else's responsibility but my own to take into account my medical needs. Depending on the occasion, sometimes accommodations can be made but if I have commitments at the event I abstain from food until after.

Having organized a few events myself I typically include a note something like this: "Please contact MY NAME/INFO about any special dietary needs. While not everyone's needs can be met we will try and hope that it will not effect the attendance of those who cannot be accommodated."

If that is overboard or not, I do not know... Some people take news a lot better about not being accommodated if you relate to them that you also have food issues. Funny how that works.

There's no way to plan ahead for all possible dietary needs, so the best thing to do is have a solid, non-ghettoizing vegan option (which covers vegan, vegetarian, Hindu, halal, and kosher); avoid seafood, particularly shellfish; and clearly publish a request that attendees make known other dietary needs. You never know when someone with a rare metabolic disorder is going to show up, but it's going to be THEIR responsibility to communicate with you. Because they know, or should know, that people can't build every public meal around a 1:15K-incidence problem.

And then there are the people who are just jerks about this stuff. Dealing with "collectors of allergies," as Mark Twain called them, or the I Can't Have That crowd, as I call them, is just an ever-present bonus.

In my field (anthropology), researchers with special diets are often seen as odd. That is, an anthropologist who won't sample all manner of food from around the world is viewed with skepticism. Eventually, I gave up vegetarianism because it was too hard to maintain while in a foreign country, dependent on congenial hosts for hot food. But I definitely went through my share of bread-only meals because I felt weird telling people about my (self-imposed) dietary restrictions.

At nicer seminars and dinners at my school there is usually a selection of wraps, which includes vegetarian, pasta salad (also vegetarian), actual salad (dressing on the side) and a fruit bowl. Between these options, almost everyone has something they can eat, and people with extreme dietary needs bring their own.

My big food problem is not food allergy, but general vulnerability to germs from food I may consumer outside the US. Very embarrassing, as I myself grew up in a developing country, and did not expect my immune system to be so pansy, I regularly get sick now when I visit my home country. :((

Needless to add, this has made international conferences difficult for me, still figuring out what I can do. Of course, I only drink the bottled water, cooked food etc, but I cannot control how clean the dishes are, whether the cook touched the food only with a clean glove, etc etc, i.e, not practical to be live in a bubble when I am in another country. Really at a loss about what to do.

I'm in an ecology & evolutionary biology department. Many graduate students and some faculty in these sorts of departments are vegetarian for ethical/environmental reasons (unsurprising given our area of expertise). Some of us have been vegetarian long enough that our bodies have unpleasant reactions to consuming meat. My department provides lunches for various events regularly (a least once per week), and an effort is made to provide vegetarian options (which is much appreciated, but also expected given that a large percentage of free meal consumers in the department are vegetarian). The department's chosen caterer, however, seems to think that a salad is an acceptable vegetarian option at each and every event - including salads that occasionally have bacon in them.

As an organizer, I think your safest bet is having a vegan option, avoiding foods that are common allergens (nuts, shellfish), and avoiding foods where many components are mixed and can't easily be eaten separately (ie have a meat and a separate grain as opposed to a meat pie). That obviously won't cover everyone's needs but should provide something that most people can work with.

I don't think the onus should be on the event organizer to accomodate everyone's unusual dietary needs. If you have an uncommon dietary restriction or are a particularly picky eater, it is probably a good idea to have a snack before the event just in case and then just work with the parts of the meal that you can.

I also have 2 allergies - shellfish and strawberries. Both are fairly easy to avoid, so I don't usually make a point of mentioning them or asking for accommodations.

What is annoying is the constantly having to explain myself. Why is my breakfast plate only bread items and no healthy fruit? well, I LOVE fruit but in a mixed fruit bowl I can't take any. Why did I skip the amazing crabcake? Because I don't feel like pulling out my Epi-pen. Most people accept the 'I'm allergic' and it's not a big deal.. others feel the need to turn it into a whole topic of conversation and pitying.. which gets old rather quickly.

Having organized several events in a non-academic setting (but having the same issues of accommodation), your responsibility is to ASK what accommodation others need, and then do you best to make sure everyone is taken care of. It is the responsibility of the attendee to REQUEST accommodation when asked (even if their accommodation is as mundane as "vegetarian"). These accommodations can range from food issues, as you describe, to accessibility, to a place to pump breastmilk.

I once attended a horribly run event as a referee in my sport. Another fellow referee uses a wheelchair. We were housed in a non-handicap-accessible hotel. (There was also no vegetarian food provided.) Did I mention this event was horribly run? The organizers never asked the attendees what accommodations they needed, and ended up having to fight many fires at the event. Many accommodations (like vegetarian food) were never provided. Don't do this. ASK.

I'm a Type 1 diabetic (so I take insulin), and find its worse when people try to accomodate me... but don't understand enough about my condition to do so. There is nothing worse than being served a bowl of pasta w/sauce and bread for dipping from a well-meaning colleague who proudly announces that the sauce "has no sugar" and they made sure to avoid serving "any foods with sugar". I never know what to do in these situations as the person doesn't realize that the problem is the carbohydrate, not the sugar per se, and really was trying to be accommodating. I usually end up eating just for politeness sake and then being really vigilant over my blood sugar for the next several hours. Its ironic though that if the person had not tried to accommodate me, it probably would have been better.

Toughest when one is interviewing for a faculty position. We go to places where there is a broad menu but always check with the interviewee first to see if that works for them. When the interview committee takes all interviewees to a steakhouse you know they are out of touch.

I think it is my responsibility to deal with my own food issues, but I like the suggestion of one of your other commentators to have a vegan option, which does cover a lot of ground. I wanted to highlight one other aspect of your post, which is other people's taking offense at your inability to eat what they are eating. So, willingness to assume the best on both sides is needed: I will assume that host doesn't mean for me to go hungry (and will be an adult about planning my own food), and host will assume that I am not being rude when I don't eat host's food (and will be an adult about not picking on my food choices/needs).

The times I've set up food for people I tend to have that "vegan option" i.e. vegetarian without eggs or milk/cheese. It's hard where I'm currently am, but in worst case I try to make vegetarian things with cheese and hope for the best.

At a party my old boss hosted a few years back I was embarrassed since he had made wonderful pork dishes... and then he told Israeli delegation "there is some shripm over there you can eat instead of the pork"... yeah... well... hmm... ^^ The ended up havin cheese and crackers with grapes. That was the only option left.

My dept has an annual picnic event at which the main staple is grilled beef and pork. Most of our Indian students stayed away from it. Finally I explained the dept chair why, and we now cater some Indian and Chinese food as well. The only problem is that everybody pigs out on samosas, and then the intended users are left without.

Thanks so much for raising this topic. As a parent of a child that has multiple, life-threatening, food allergies (NOT intolerance) Eat food = epi pen and trip to ER

I think that the suggestion to have a vegan (and no nuts) option is a great one. It would also be great if there was a way to allow people to bring their own food and not have it be "wow, look at that picky freak show". That would allow affected individuals to really, safely, manage their medical conditions.

No one wants a speaker/job candidate to pull out an epipen or call an ambulance-talk about awkward social situations!

I think it is too bad that asking for accommodations due to an allergy is perceived as a self-indulgent act. I have food intolerances, daughter has an epipen for peanut allergy. We find that it is always good to contact organizers/caterers well in advance to find out if there will be anything served that will be safe. I agree that having a catchall vegan option is a good idea but also make it gluten-free.

People with special diets don't want to put anyone out and most of the time they do bring their own food because they know that chances are slim that the food offered will work for them. So if you are going to refuse to accommodate special diets, don't charge these people for the meal.

mOOm, something like tropical fruit comes to mind for me--bananas, mangoes, and kiwis are not served with great frequency at professional meals in the US and allergies to them are unusual.

My food restrictions are almost entirely by preference (vegan, but vegetarian when traveling or visiting my grandparents) but I am also lactose-intolerant. Fortunately I'm ok if I pick the cheese off of pizza, which is the offering at a lot of casual events in my department.

What's more problematic for me is that I'm very intolerant of white board markers, so I bring my own VOC-free ones.

For smaller events or interviews, I usually email my allergy to the organizer by offering to arrange my own food if it would be too difficult to accommodate. In this way, I have usually gotten reassurance that there will plenty of food for me to eat, and often given a choice of restaurants. For larger events, I usually make sure I eat ahead of time and/or carry a sandwich in my purse.

Perhaps because I have an allergy, I always ask for dietary restrictions when I'm the organizer.

My bigger problem is with the occasional student who I take in the field only to find out she WON'T eat any typical field food. Even when I supply snacks as a free/unexpected reward, I'm surprised at the rudeness of students who tell me they don't like what I provided, and do I have anything else?

This is a tricky one for me at times. I follow some religious-based dietary laws, and my rule of thumb is that I will occasionally ask people to accommodate them *when reasonable*. What I mean is that if there is a decent-quality nearby restaurant that can deal with those restrictions (and isn't insanely expensive), then if I've been invited to give a seminar and they want to take me out to dinner, I will say something like "I follow some dietary restrictions, and restaurant X near you is able to provide food that is consistent with them. if it's no trouble, could we please go there?" And if not, I just get a soda or something at a restaurant where I am not otherwise able to eat.

The really awkward bit that comes up is that sometimes people think they know about this dietary restriction and they really don't, so they say "oh, we can just do X and then it's fine" when that's not true. So there are times when I think I should just have a blanket rule that I don't ask for or accept any accommodations, so that I don't have to burst people's well-meaning bubbles in situations like these.

I'm gluten-free. I started off trying to to make waves and just handle it myself but then I have problems with blood sugar too and leaving myself hungry didn't work. I bring snacks so that I don't have a crisis but I also am not shy about telling the organizers what I need. Generally it works.

There has only been on dismal failure on this regard over the years and I just refuse to go back to that conference. They were so rude to everyone. They told everyone that they must eat what they were served. This included religious preferences and life-threatening allergies. I left, as did everyone else with issues. How can you seriously tell people to eat if they might die from it?

In general, I find people to be very understanding about allergies. It shouldn't provoke anxiety!

My bigger concern, however, is with being aware of feast/fast days of other religious calendars. Department parties at noon during Ramadan when 1 out of 10 graduate students are semi-observant Muslims, for example, are rude. For a large conference, it is hard to know what all the big days are of all religions, but I certainly appreciate it when people make an attempt at the big ones.

I have a milk allergy and am most frustrated when I am asked about dietary restrictions (never with the disclaimer that a previous commenter included) and then show up to find there is nothing I can eat. This is particularly annoying when it's a small function when my needs could be easily accommodated (salad dressings on the side, cold cut platters instead of pre-assembled sandwiches, etc). I am always happy to see crudite platters, fruit trays, and other minimally processed foods at larger events, and I'm sure that they are also appreciated by those with other dietary restrictions as well.

When I plan events, I strive to provide a variety of food choices where ingredients are not frequently repeated, in the hopes that everyone can find at least one thing to eat (even if it is bread, a plate of lettuce, or an apple). I always appreciate events that make allergy information or ingredient listings available and try to make that available at events I am responsible for as well.

While I am an omnivore without any major food allergies or difficulties, I refuse to host a speaker at a restaurant that does not have multiple vegetarian options. Just controlling for that one factor makes so many things easier... While it is not strictly a 1:1 correlation, restaurants that have planned their menus to accommodate vegetarians also tend to have the ability to accommodate other dietary preferences or needs.

I'd imagine you're allergic to shellfish or fish, restaurants don't specialize in peanuts.I can sympathize as I come from an extremely Orthodox background and keep kosher very strictly, with customs most haven't heard of, so just because something is kosher doesn't mean I can eat it. I always have food on me to avert starvation in case of an emergency, and suggest that anyone with food restrictions do the same. Even a small pack of whole wheat crackers can be a lifesaver until you can buy some fruit!

Tomatoes? I am allergic to tomatoes. I feel awkward making special requests if not first asked. When I was a kid, pizza parties were common and I just waited for the cake. As a professional, there have been many job interviews, workshops, and dinner meetings catered with an item in covered in tomatoes, with no advanced notice. I just do not eat it. But the worst part is that others make a huge deal about it.

I straddle two worlds in my discipline when it comes to food at professional functions. For the vast majority of local functions you are either an omnivore or you are ostracized by the meat-and-potatoes crowd. Ask for the vegetarian special (which Catholics like myself must do 7 times a year) and you get strange looks, especially from the old-guard Baptists that seem to be everywhere and don't understand why you can't eat steak today when you had a pulled pork sandwich yesterday.

On the other hand, for one of my professional organizations that is more "culturally evolved", the menu generally leans toward lighter, more health-conscious fare including a higher likelihood of vegetarian options, and us meat-eaters are often left feeling not-so-satiated.

my beloved cousin, who lectures widely, is terribly allergic to onion (which is in EVERYTHING and on the grill where foods are cooked). He asked the man seated next to him at one meal whether there was onion in one particular dish they were served. The man asked about his allergy on-set. 'about 6 hours' 'oh, then, you can eat this' was the cheerful reply of the fellow who wasn't going to be around when the reaction kicked in.When it's feasible, Cousin often asks for a banana split: fruit, dairy and sweet.

I'm another gluten-problem person, and I went on 15 job interviews last year, and told every single one of them ahead of time that I couldn't have gluten, and the to contact me with questions and they all went fabulously. A few even went out of their way to get me something.

In terms of current school events, I'm on a first name basis with our Sodexo guy (school food company). I don't even talk to the organizers of the event any more, I go straight to the food guy when i know I'll be attending.

I actually do that everywhere, I find that there's usually something in the kitchen or something extra that can be scrounged for me. However, that being said, I also always carry gluten-free, low-carb snacks to make sure I won't sugar crash due to everything being breaded.

I'm also extremely vocal about my food issues, so everyone, right down to my students, knows that I can't have gluten. I think it also opens it up for others to talk about these things if I come right out and say, "Oh, I can't eat that. I'm gluten-intolerant", then someone else invariably adds in something they can't have, and we're all open and not embarrassed.

I think it depends on the situation; if you're dealing with an interview/invited speaker, you have to be more accomodating than if it's a free department lunch. My department generally has a vegetarian option (which, hey, us carnivores like too). I should note that vegetarian does NOT mean it's kosher as there is a lot more to those rules than no pork and no mixing meat and dairy- depends on how strictly you're following that.

I'd certainly agree the once a semester department party/special event with food shouldn't be held during Ramadan, but don't think it is reasonable to not serve food at any event during that month (i.e., weekly luncheon events should not be canceled).

As a longtime vegan who is also severely lactose-intolerant, I've found that I can almost always find something to eat at restaurant functions. (I often order several sides.) For catered academic or conference events, I always try to let the organizers know in advance, but I also keep a granola bar and fruit in my bag just in case there ends up not being anything I can eat. Fieldwork generally works out as well, as long as others know about my dietary restrictions, and especially since I often volunteer to cook.

I think the most frustrating situations are when foods are purported to be "vegan," but have some disguised dairy component in them that leads to me having embarrassing and painful digestive issues while at an event or meeting.

I agree that organizers need to ask about dietary needs, AND attendees should specify them independently. And yes, in an ideal world, there would always definitely be a vegan (and gluten-free) option already.

As to the other point ... I've never had a genuinely negative (aside from joking) response to my dietary situation, even when doing fieldwork abroad. I think it helps that I offer long lists of suggestions of things that I CAN eat, so that it's not thought of so much as a restrictive diet, but just a different one.

I have a horrible time with this because I have intolerances to many common foods like corn and tomatoes. I'm fortunate in that I don't have full blown allergies, but eating the wrong foods mean I will be very sick for the next two days. I've given to keeping 'safe' food in my bag so that I can eat something in those frequent situations where all the food is a potential problem.

I've been pleasantly surprised how many people have been accommodating, but I just usually say don't worry about it and that I'll provide my own food. (Even when they try, there's usually a problem.) And when I go on travel, I have to make sure that I can stay someplace with a kitchen.

If people are paying for food, then they shouldn't have to eat anything they don't want to for any reason, whether allergy or dislike. With food someone's providing for free, if I was the provider I'd feel guilty if I didn't try to include everyone. Where I'm concerned I've mostly brought along something else to communal meals, but I've endured many a conversation where this was considered rude by the host or other guests. Some think it's rude of me not to eat the food anyway, which is ridiculous. I once endured a wedding reception where the only food I could eat was the rice, and though I didn't let that bother me and smiled the whole time, people constantly commented on how sad and miserable I looked with just a plate of rice. A colleague of mine just plain doesn't bother turning up for these things because he's so sick of the way people act about it.

As someone who recently contracted food issues (IBS), I'm still trying to figure out my food "triggers." This is distressing in an of itself since I can't just eat at a restaurant or seminar (since I don't know the ingredients of everything). But, I've also been asked about food preferences for job interview trips coming up, and I have felt self-conscious telling my hosts. At conferences/seminars I can just go where I need to go on my own to get food (or not eat for that one event), but I feel that would be rude (or unhealthy) when I'm being hosted by someone for multiple days. Also, it feels like personal health information, which I don't want to advertise. But, at the same time, I don't want to spend the whole trip passed out on a toilet (sorry if graphic) and NOT presenting my talk if I don't find some way to cope.

So, I feel ambivalent about it, but I think it is because asking for accommodation is still seen as burdensome, no matter how justified you are in asking.

And I agree with the suggestion to always have something vegan. I go to SO MANY seminars at my home institution that only do a vegetarian option as "the alternative" (i.e. they have plenty of cheese plates for people who can't eat meat), and I feel excluded since they "have accommodated people" but I still can't eat anything because I am severely lactose-intolerant. Also, whole foods (or minimally processed) and separated components are better for guests to better identify what ingredients are (so they don't have to so openly ask whether a food is "safe" at risk of annoying the hosts). So, don't have any sauces mixed in that might contain allergens, etc.

This is an issue for me when I take students on field trip or supervise students in field research. For field trips, I provide veg/no-veg options when we cook communal meals, but increasingly that isn't sufficient. In field research to places in which meat is in everything (even dishes that appear to be vegetarian), it is a huge problem to accommodate students who are vegetarian (and impossible to help vegans), especially if they have not learned the local language well enough to negotiate their own food issues.

I once was on a field trip where it was decided that, since we were not cooking two different entrées at every meal, everything was going to be vegetarian (maybe vegan too, I don't remember). You should have seen the reaction from some of the omnivores. They were horrified by the thought of not eating meat for a week and whined about it incessantly. I thought it was a nice turning of the tables.

For most conferences, all it takes is communication with the caterers/hotel at which the event is taking place. Let them know the special dietary needs, and they can typically accommodate. Just put a comment box on the registration website or refer them to the conference caterer.

For in-department/college meetings (depending on how large), ask those with the allergies where they can eat around "here". Then they can be accommodated without too much searching and phone calls done by those organizing the event.

I went to a conference this past weekend, and asked the servers standing around what was in certain dishes. The only thing I could eat was fruit (which was fine. I always plan ahead and bring snacks), but one of the servers took the initiative, found me wandering around the conference exhibits, and gave me a vegan entree in a styrofoam container. I think the responsibility belongs to both parties (the planners and the attendees) to communicate dietary issues. Also, it wouldn't hurt if the caterers would ask the questions as well.

About Me

I am a full professor in a physical sciences field at a large research university. I am married and have a teenaged daughter.
I have the greatest job in the world, but this will not stop me from noting some of the more puzzling and stressful aspects of my career as a science professor.
E-mail (can't promise to reply): femalescienceprofessor@gmail.com